Where No One Goes to Touch the Sky
by Althea Sirius
Summary: Left/Runaway AU! When Hiccup is chosen for the Rite of Passage, he decides to leave. Through his travels, he meets people who understand him and join him on his adventure. who will he meet? And how will his leaving home change their fates?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: Hello again fellow readers and writers! I apologize to those following my other stories but time has changed my tastes but that by no means that they're dead! Just simply on a long hiatus.

Sorry if the dialogue can be a bit sparse, but he's by himself with just Toothless and has yet to learn Dragonese. We'll get to that later. That and I'm still getting back into the groove of writing.

Don't know why we still have to do this even though it's inevitable but here goes!

**Disclaimer:** **I do NOT own any script or characters that are already made, the same could be said about any songs that may appear in the story. They belong to their respective owners.**

ALSO! A tidbit for writing, it's never "towards", just "toward". The same would be said for forward and backward. It always irks me when I see that.

Anyway...

Onward with the story!

* * *

**Chapter 1: Branching Future**

A dim light perforated the room as a young auburn haired teenage boy sat at his desk, his head propped up by his left hand. Hiccup's eyes weren't focused as they had a far off look in them, unaware of his own surroundings.

From the moment his Dad gave him the special helmet, he's been drowning himself in his own thoughts, scenarios of what if, maybe, and could. But he had to stop at some point and the next morning definitely did just that.

He had barely slept that night, only his mental exhaustion giving him peace in the early morning. He dragged himself from his warm and inviting bed and trudged downstairs. His Dad had obviously left early to perform his Chiefing duties so he could spectate his son in the final class of Dragon Training. Which Hiccup was thankful for, he didn't want to face his dad right now.

The Heir merely grabbed an apple and a bread bun before heading out to the Forge to do his own morning work. But his peaceful working had to come to an end when Gobber came to get him. From that point, time seemed to move faster than it seemed.

Hiccup was now surrounded by people as he was hoisted onto Fishlegs' shoulder, everyone congratulating him on his victory and how big the _honour_ of killing a Monstrous Nightmare was.

_"I'm so leaving,"_ he thought.

He quickly made an excuse to leave as he tore away from the boisterous crowd surrounding the Arena. He vaguely heard Gobber call out for them all to head to the Great Hall to celebrate.

All of Berk had been there to see him "take down" the Gronckle, so when he got across the bridge, he sprinted to the Forge without the worry of someone seeing him. He grabbed a nearby basket and began filling it with any needed content: paper, pencils and brushes, carving tools, hammer, nails, all his schematics (don't want people knowing what he's been up to), everything he needed if he set up his own Forge, or at least things he could pack. While he made a mess in the Forge, it may make Gobber angry later, even if he already doesn't pick up after himself often, but Hiccup had more immediate problems right now so he lifted the basket over his shoulder and ran to the Docks. He was surprised that not even Bucket or Mulch were here, but then again they were probably with the rest of Berk in the Great Hall celebrating. He grabbed a big enough basket and filled it to the brim with fish, before he left though he glanced over to a boat. It was big enough to hold three people and he didn't want to have them lose a fishing boat, so he untied the rope and set it off.

_"This'll cover my tracks a bit better. Just leaving on Toothless would seem like I just disappeared,"_ he thought.

He grabbed the heavy baskets of fish and tools and made his way back up to his home. Not wanting to linger any longer than necessary, he quickly went to the kitchen area and grabbed a bag and began to fill it with food. Once that was done he went upstairs and took out already written letters for his Dad and Mentor, from his desk and placed them on his bed.

He had cleaned his room the previous night but he was thankful he did. He grabbed a satchel and began to pack it full; extra clothes, blank sketch and note books along with some of the books he's read over the years that he acquired from Trader Johann, and a couple blankets. He went back downstairs and belted the supplies together, as he was about to leave through the backdoor he paused and looked back, taking it in. Memories of the past seemed to manifest in different areas of the house, bitter arguments, rare sweet bonding moments, and meals.

It had been his home for so long, but at the same time there were moments when it felt more like a prison. He shook his head as he turned and made his way out of his former home and toward the forest. The supplies was heavy but it'd help him in the long run as he made his way toward the Cove, his legs pushing back any foliage that got in their way. The supplies was heavy for his small frame, but the guilt and fear of having to possibly _kill_ an innocent dragon weighed even heavier on his conscious. That and he was thankful for one other thing Dragon Training did for him: helped him get stronger. Before he had problems just lifting an axe with _both_ arms, but now he was able to lift an axe with just one arm. While he had trouble in the Forge for years, he believed that Dragon Training was the catalyst.

"We're leaving, you and I are going on a vacation... forever," he called out as he entered the Cove. A lithe black medium sized dragon approached him sniffing the basket full of fish that he held.

"No, that's for later," Hiccup told the curious dragon but got a pleading look. He sighed, "Fine, just a few," And opened the basket, taking out three fish and handed them to the dragon, who happily ate them. Once he was finished eating though, he crooned in a concerned tone as he gently nudged the young boys cheek. It wasn't until now that Hiccup realized that the heir of the Hairy Hooligans was leaving. But then again he was never treated as such anyway. Astrid would be a better candidate.

With the adrenaline from running around the village wearing off, Hiccup just hugged the concerned Night Fury as he sunk to his knees, finally letting out all the sadness he had suppressed. Toothless curled around him in a sort of hug and they remained like that for awhile. During this time, he couldn't help but think back to the dragons in the arena. The Deadly Nadder, Gronckle, Hideous Zippleback, Terrible Terror, and Monstrous Nightmare. He can't leave them there to die at the hands of someone else who knew no better than he did before meeting Toothless.

"Let's go save those dragons, bud." He got on the dragon's back, and they took off toward the back way to the Arena.

Once he got there he took a careful look around before heading back into the place he had left earlier. He pulled down the lever to the Terrible Terrors cage, seeing it skitter out of its cage but halted when it only saw Hiccup. Remembering the boy had given him and the other dragons extra food, the Terror crawled up the boys legs and up to his shoulders. Hiccup scratched the small dragon under its chin gaining a purr of delight before he moved to the lever for the Nadder.

The Nadder had greeted the young Viking who had given her such good scratches and had saved her from the fierce young shield maiden. She nudged him happily as Hiccup pet the joyful Nadders snout before moving to the Gronckles cage. The pudgy Gronckles tail wagged once she saw the auburn haired boy and nearly bowled him over had the Nadder not stopped her. The Zippleback had snaked its heads around Hiccup and rubbed against the boy who had not only kept his word of removing the eel but also scratching between its wings.

Last but certainly not least, he heaved the lever to the Nightmares cage door open but as it burst out it noticed the other dragons that were with the young Viking. He approached the boys outstretched hand cautiously but was surprised when the boy turned his head away. This was someone whom all dragons have been waiting to meet, someone willing to trust and listen. The red and orange dragon pressed it's snout against the open palm before it turned to the other dragons to join them.

"We all need to leave before someone comes looking," Hiccup warned the flock in front of him, who all gave some sort of acknowledgement. The Terror climbed back onto Hiccups shoulders as he hopped onto an awaiting Toothless and took off back toward the Cove, leaving through the entryway with the dragons following. The Arena dragons landed just on the rim of the Cove to wait as the young Viking and Night Fury landed by the large pond.

Hiccup walked over to his supplies and took his time to double check everything but within that time he didn't notice someone else entered his safe Haven. The distinct sound of a weapon being sharpened startled Hiccup out of his thoughts, bringing his forest green eyes to meet an icy blue.

"Aggh! What- Astrid! H-hey! Wh-what are you doing here?" He stuttered. _"Odin's beard, why is it always like this?"_ He mentally panicked.

"I want answers Haddock," she said hotly as she leapt off the boulder she had been sitting upon and approached with her axe in hand. "Nobody gets as good as you, especially you! Are you training with someone?"

"Training? I don't-"

"It better not involve all this," she stated as she pointed to his supplies with his flight harness slipping out from under the lid.

"I know this looks really bad, but you see this is uhh-" he tried to continue only for Toothless, who had went to go lay down under a groove of roots, to rustle some of the foliage getting the Shield Maidens attention.

"You're right! You're right! You're right. I'm through with the lies. I've been making... outfits," he stalled as he got in front of her and placed her hand on the front of his shirt. "So you got me. It's time everyone knew. Drag me back. Go ahead. Here we go..."

Astrid merely twisted his hand back in an unnatural way with an audible crack causing him to crumble to the ground in pain. "OW! Why would you do that?"

"That's for the lies," she continued with a kick to his side to prevent him from getting back up, then bounced the pommel end of her axe against Hiccups abdomen, making him groan even more. "And _that's_ for everything else." but froze when a growl resounded throughout the gale.

"Oh man…" Hiccup could only groan as he sat up to see Toothless come over boulder with a none too happy expression.

Astrid quickly reacted as she jumped on top of Hiccup, once again pushing him down onto the ground. "GET DOWN!" She quickly got back up with her axe in hand. "RUN! RUN!"

"NO!" Hiccup quickly grabbed ahold of the axe and threw it a good enough distance from them before putting his hands up in front of Toothless in a placating and calming gesture. "No. It's okay! It's okay…" Toothless seemed to calm only a small margin as Hiccup continued to soothe the protective dragon. "She's a friend, it's okay."

The young shield maiden just watched in shock as the runt of the tribe seemed to calm down the seemingly mindless beast.

"You just scared him."

"_I _scared _him_?!" Astrid all but screeched before realizing what she just said. "Who is _him_?" She whispered.

"Astrid, Toothless. Toothless, Astrid." He introduced, gesturing between the shield maiden and dragon, though said dark colored dragon merely hissed at the girl.

Astrid's expression changed from uncertainty to that of disgust before she turned and sprinted out of the cove and away from the misfit duo.

"Da, da-da, we're dead," Hiccup deadpanned sarcastically. Toothless, satisfied the threatening girl was gone, began to hobble off. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Where are you going?"

* * *

_"Unbelievable! He allied with the enemy! No wonder he got so good! That… THING, probably helped him!"_ Astrid angrily thought as she swiftly went through the forests thick foliage. Just as she was about to jump from a boulder something clamped around her shoulders, dragging her into the air.

"AH! Oh, Great Odin's Ghost! Oh this is it!"

She was roughly dropped onto a sturdy branch of a tall pine that was too high to jump from. She was soon joined by the Night Fury as it landed on the top of the tree causing it to bend sharply, but it was still too high to jump from. The blonde shield maiden turned her steely gaze to the runt of the village who was sitting atop an annoyed dragon.

"Hiccup, get me down from here!"

"You have to give me a chance to explain," the auburn haired Rider tried.

"I am _not _listening to _ANYTHING_ you have to say!" She yelled as she shuffled closer to the trunk of the tree in an attempt to climb down.

"Then I won't speak," he started, getting Astrid's attention slightly but still looked away from him. "Just let me _show_ you… Please Astrid." He held his hand out to her, both as an act of peace and an act to help her on the saddle.

Astrid glanced between the outstretched hand, the dragon, and then to the far down ground, as if to weigh her options. Making a decision, she heaved herself up onto the branch and balanced her way toward Hiccup. Though she smacked the offered hand away but paused when Toothless growled but after a moment she climbed onto the saddle.

"Now, get me down," she demanded, not even trying to hide her discomfort, still not liking how high they were from the solid ground.

Hiccup leaned down and pat the dragons side. "Toothless, down. Gently." Toothless spread his wings to their width getting ready to take off, the pine tree bent even more with the concentrated weight.

"See? Nothing to be afraid of," Hiccup comforted, not noticing Toothless' mischievous smile. The dragon then rocketed into the sky, the sudden launch causing Astrid to slide back and nearly falling off had she not gripped the saddle.

"WHOA!" The young rider exclaimed as they shot off, not expecting his friend to do this. "TOOTHLESS! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?! BAD DRAGON!" He tried to criticize but couldn't help but see the humor of the situation. "He's not usually like this. Oh, no…" he tried explaining before Toothless began to turn in the air as they got high enough into the afternoon sky.

Toothless flipped back up and took them closer to the white capping waves below, splashing them in the white froth a couple times for good measure. "Toothless, what are you doing?! We need her to like us," Hiccup all but shouted but could barely keep himself from chuckling. The Night Fury pumped his wings with power before tucking them in close as he began to spin in a corkscrew fashion. "And now the spinning," he said flatly, keeping his amusement well hidden. "Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile."

Toothless spun and jerked for barely even a couple more moments before Astrid finally reached her breaking point. "Okay! I am sorry! I'm sorry! Just get me off of this thing!" She all but hollered as she clung to Hiccup, he face against his back. She wanted enough of this craziness! She just wants off!

The moment the young shield maiden apologized, Toothless relented and spread his wings, catching the wind and slowed down to glide above the clouds. The sun had begun to set, giving the clouds around them a hue of yellow, orange, and pink. Astrid hesitantly opened her eyes and was welcomed to the beautiful sight before them. Hiccup readjusted himself in the saddle as they glided calmly through the air. The blue eyed blonde adjusted her grip and let go of one of her arms as she brought her hand up to the clouds above them, feeling the cool moisture on her hand. She smiled despite herself as she felt confident enough to release her restrictive hold on Hiccups waist she waved her arms through the ever changing puffs of moisture. Time seemed to drag pleasantly on as they glided above the clouds revealing the clear midnight blue sky, dotted with twinkling stars. The Aurora Borealis, or better known to them as, (Aurvilds) Fire, shimmered above them, like an ever present ethereal presence. Toothless flew gently down, toward their village, already the torches were lit, making Berk seem like it was filled with burning stars of its own. Astrid's face lit up in awe at the sight, she tucked her chin on the Heir's shoulder as they gazed at the sight before them. Toothless noticed this and a look of victory and happiness spread across his reptilian face.

"Alright, I admit it. This is pretty cool. It's... amazing," she finally understood what Hiccup was showing her. She bent down and patted Toothless' side, feeling how warm he was for the first time. "He's amazing."

They continued to fly, through the clear night, though atmosphere changed at the shield maidens next question.

"So what now?" She asked only to see the Heir's face churn with emotion. "Hiccup, your final exam is tomorrow. You know you're going to have to kill a…" she leaned closer to Hiccup and whispered so Toothless wouldn't hear. "Kill a dragon."

Hiccup groaned at the reminder. "Don't remind me." The dark dragon suddenly jerked, surprising his passengers, diving into a thickening bank of cloud and fog. "Toothless, what's happening? Whoa, what is it?" He quickly got his answer when he finds they're in the middle of a large flock of dragons, more becoming more clear even in the thick fog, each of them carrying some kind of food. He quickly realized their predicament and gave a low whisper warning. "Get down!"

"What's going on?" She asked hoping the Dragon Rider had the answer.

"I don't know," he replied unsure. "Toothless. You've got to get us out of here, bud."

Said dragon unfortunately only rumbled with a shake of his head as he continued their flight. Hiccup tried to make sense of their situation as he observed the flocking dragons. "It looks like they're hauling in their kills," Hiccup noted.

"Uh, what does that make us?" Astrid asked nervously when she saw a Zippleback hiss at the intruding humans.

They continued to fly through the ominous fog, Toothless flying as if in haze himself but Hiccup instinctively followed the movements with ease, not wanting to crash and gain anymore unwanted attention.

"What my Dad wouldn't give to find this," he breathed out as he looked around the crimson lit cavern.

The heat began to rise as they flew through the stone tunnel until it opened to a large cavern, choked with dragons often seen around Berk. Toothless veered away from the others that flew over what appeared to be a Kill Pit, and landed on an outcropping behind a connected stone pillar giving them some sort of cover. They watched as the dragons continued to come in to drop their kills into a crevice.

"Well, it's nice to know all our food is being dumped into a hole," Hiccup quietly said.

"They're not eating any of it…" Astrid muttered but trailed off as a derpy looking Gronckle flew in and upchucked a measly fish into the pit then scratched behind its ear before freezing when a loud roar echoed through the caverns, causing dragons to stir. The Gronckle tried to flee but a gigantic dragon head rose up from the precipice of the volcano, snapping its large maw around the poor dragon.

"Oh my gods…" Hiccup murmured as he and Astrid looked on in horror, hearing the frightened screeches of the other dragons as they coward back away from the monster. "Okay bud, we need to get out of here, NOW!" He urged, seeing the huge beast sniff the air before shifting her gaze to the two intruders. It let out a roar and lunged at the three friends, they barely made it out of reach of her giant teeth.

As they arrived back at the cove with Arena Dragons waiting, Astrid had been talking off Hiccups ears once she found her voice to speak again. "No, it totally makes sense. It's like a beehive, they're the workers and that's their Queen," she continued as she jumped off the saddle. But just as she was about to suggest they go tell the Chief, she remembered the packed baskets from earlier. She immediately put the pieces together, Hiccup, Dragon Training, Toothless, supplies… she slowly turned to Hiccup.

"Hiccup? Were you going to…"

Hiccup could only avoid her eyes as he knew what she meant but what he heard next shocked him.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

Hiccups eyes snapped open at her question and turned his gaze back to her. "What?"

"What are you waiting for?" She repeated. "If you do stay here you'll be putting not just yourself and Toothless at risk but the village as well."

"B-but what about that… thing-" he stuttered as he got off the saddle, honestly surprised that his crush was agreeing with his original plan to leave.

"You'll think of something," she said with a small smile. "If the saddle and rigging on your dragon is any indication."

A small smile creeped onto Hiccups face. "Thanks Astrid," but the smile turned into a thin line. "But we'll need help if we're going to take that thing down. And since you've changed your mind on dragons, you'll need someone to watch your back."

"Where are you going with this?"

"You're going to need a Dragon Partner,"

"Oh," was all she could say as she took in the statement.

Hiccup glanced around the rim of the Cove at each of the Arena dragons before his eyes landed on the Nadder. He turned to Toothless and gave him a signal to which he understood and let out a few growls. The Nadder flew down, landing 6 feet away from the two teens.

"And if I had to hazard a guess, this Nadder would be a great partner for you," he said as he stepped closer to the bright blue dragon who let out a loving croon.

Astrid took a few hesitant steps toward the the bipedal dragon and held out her hand making the Nadder growl slightly causing her to pull her hand back.

Hiccup gently grabbed her hand and opened it so her palm was open toward the dragon.

"Let her come to you," he advised. "Let yourself be vulnerable and turn your head away."

Astrid almost scoffed at that. A Hofferson, or just a proud Viking in general, letting themselves be vulnerable in front of a dragon, but she did as the Heir said and turned her face away with her eyes closed. The Nadder gazed at the young girls outstretched hand and inched a bit closer. She let out a small breath before pressing her snout against Astrid's hand. Said young Viking let out a breath of relief as she looked back to the dragon. The Nadder nudged her as she got closer allowing Astrid to gently stroke the Nadders head.

"Amazing," she said as she began to pet the bipedal dragon, earning croons of happiness. "Why can't we ask the other trainee's for help?"

Hiccup sighed as he knew she'd asked this. "Astrid, do you really think that a prideful, arrogant, mutton-headed Jorgenson, two pyromaniac and destructive Thorstons, and a nervous Ingermen, would listen to not just the runt of the village, but to Hiccup the Useless?" He asked dryly as he secured his supplies to Toothless' saddle.

(**A/N:** Another thing that _really_ irks me when I read HTTYD stories, is when people make Snotlout and the Twins out to be PHYSICAL bullies. Guys, they're Teenagers, there's more than a couple different _types_ of bullies. I'd personally know. And we've clearly seen why they do what they do. Spitelout pushes all these expectations onto his Son, expecting him to follow them to a T. But through the Riders friendship and trials, he grows to be his own person. Yeah he's not too different, but he's different enough to even gain a love interest in RTTE. As for the Twins, well, their followers but later develop to be their own persons.

If writers need physical bullies, use some of the other cousins or siblings the Clan families have, Scablout and Bearlegs being two examples. Yeah they're not exactly necessarily from the same Canon, but this is Fanfiction.

Sorry to ramble, on with the story!)

Astrid just stood there, staring at the auburn haired boy silently, finally seeing the more doubtful side of the Hooligan heir that she hadn't seen before. She now realized that his sarcastic comments and dry quips could be just a mask as well as a buffer to help protect himself emotionally.

"No, they wouldn't," she answered, seeing him flinch slightly at her blunt answer. "I think they'd follow the rightful heir to the Hooligan tribe, Hiccup the Useful... Hiccup the Dragon Master."

Hiccups eyes widened at her statement. Her tone was filled with confidence and certainty. causing a smile to grace his lips as he turned back to her. "Thanks Astrid…"

She gave him a smile in return as she continued petting the Nadder. "People will be wondering where we are, you better head out, Dragon Rider."

Gaining some much needed confidence, Hiccup smirked as he gave an extravagant gesture to her. "Well I'm not the only Dragon Rider now am I, Milady?"

Astrid managed to conceal a small snort as she covered her mouth at not just his comment but his nickname for her. It was kinda corny but too sweet for her to complain and at least it was better than Snotlout's advances.

Before he got on his dragon to leave though, he opened one of the baskets and took out one of his journals. He walked back up to Astrid and placed the brown leather book into her hands. "These are the notes I've written down so far on the dragon's I've studied. This should help you in the future."

Astrid traced her fingers across the leathery cover before glancing back up the Hiccups forest green eyes. "I promise to keep this safe." She then securely tied it to her belt.

"Appreciated Milady," he smiled as he walked back to an awaiting Toothless but just as he got in the saddle he felt a sharp jab in his arm."Ow! What was that for?"

"That's for kidnapping me," she said blankly as Hiccup glanced down to Toothless who just rumbled apathetically. The blonde Viking pushed a few stray strands of hair behind her ear in a seemingly nervous manner before pulling Hiccup down slightly and gave him a peck on the cheek. "That's for… everything else."

This left Hiccup in a small amount of shock before Toothless bucked slightly to get him out of his reverie. Hiccup looked back to see Astrid stroking the snout of the Nadder who happily crooned at the gentle touch, and smiled. If his Dad or the Dragon Queen weren't big enough reasons to come back to Berk, well he certainly had another reason now. Hiccup looked around at the other Arena Dragons as he and Toothless hovered above the lip. "Alright gang, let's move out." The others gave affirmative roars in response as they all took off after them.

His eyes glistened slightly with tears as he looked upon his home Island but quickly tore his gaze away from it and urged Toothless onward. He placed his head on Toothless' neck as he took a deep calming breath. He didn't want to leave his home, but Astrid was right, he didn't want to lose his best friend even more and staying on Berk would put him at risk.

Toothless let out a worried croon to his rider as they continued to fly.

"We will come back and stop that thing." The dark dragon rumbled in agreement as they all continued on.

The waning moon began to shine brighter as it rose higher, giving way to a dark navy blue clear night sky with the stars becoming more clear.

"I think we should set down bud," he said as he tiredly pat Toothless. Said dragon let out a slightly annoyed rumble, wanting to get his rider as far away from both his and his riders former home as possible, but he had a point. Hiccup signaled the other dragons to follow as they flew over a decently sized island and landed on the sandy shore to set up camp.

As Hiccup gazed at the flames that danced in the makeshift fire pit, old memories of the few times his Dad was there for him, the time's Fishlegs and even Astrid helped him. He glanced over to the gathered dragons that had followed him then to the star filled sky as he leaned back against Toothless, who had curled up around him.

"You know Fishlegs was one of the first friends I had?" He told his dragon, said dragon opened his eyes and looked at him. "My Dad had brought me with him when he and Berggren went hunting, sure enough Berggren had brought Fishlegs along. I met Astrid not long after. It was during a big snowstorm and Gobber had taken to looking after the kids, I was put under his apprenticeship at the time." He paused for a moment. "Fishlegs stopped being my friend because he didn't want to be bullied anymore, that much was clear, and Astrid left for another reason. I think it was because her family didn't approve, but I wasn't sure."

He glanced at the sky once more and sighed. "But it's just us now. At least we convinced Astrid, so it's a start and I won't have to worry about my Dad's expectations anymore." The mention of his Dad caused his scaly friend to rumble as he laid his head back down.

"You and me both bud," he chuckled. He got himself settled against the dragon and closed his eyes.

They took off just as dawn came, setting out in the opposite direction they came from. They stopped on the few islands they came across, gathering supplies, and continued on.

* * *

But islands appeared less and less as they traveled until they came across a large landmass. Rocky cliff sides, a vast ocean of trees spreading before them, and small mountains in the distance.

"What do you think bud? We've been traveling for a good 2 days, think we made it to a mainland?" Hiccup asked as he patted the neck of his friend, receiving croon of agreement.

They eventually came across a crystal clear river, filled with flopping fish, and decided to get some food. They joked around together for a while, splashing each other, trying to catch fish without using a net or claws, they were finally free to have fun with each other without having to worry about time limits or someone finding them, even the Arena dragons joined in the fun.

Once they had enough fish for each other, they set up camp near the stream. As stars began to appear and they had settled down to sleep, Hiccup heard something. It was like soft whispers calling out.

He opened his eyes, allowing them to adjust to the dark, then spotting something… peculiar. What looked to be a small blue flame, was beckoning him with it's small spindly arms.

"What on midgard…" he murmured. His curiosity got the better of him as he got up, his shifting getting Toothless' and the Arena dragons attention, but as he approached it disappeared, only for a trail of them to reappear leading them away back into the dense forest.

"What do you think gang? Up for some investigating?" He asked, getting a curious rumbles in reply. They packed up and followed the eerie trail of small flames leading them further into the forest. Dense fog nearly stopped them but the flames continued to lead them, still visible in the misty terrain. He then noticed they had entered a clearing surrounded by tall stones.

_"How did we not notice those?"_

The moon had gotten higher and the misty fog became more sense around the stone circle, the dragons lite their mouths with a low flame allowing Hiccup and his reptilian friends to get a better look around them, noticing that stones had intricate foreign designs on them.

"Huh, I've seen these designs somewhere before… in one of those old books Dad got from Johann. But where did he say he got them from?"

While he racked his brain for the answer, Toothless had laid down near one of the stones with the others soon following. As he did, Hiccup checked their supplies and found that they needed some more food and he needed to fix some of his tools. Some of them had been damaged during a couple of their stops at the islands. He decided to take a walk to see if there was a village nearby in the morning and settled down next to Toothless.

The following morning, after they ate breakfast, he followed an old path.

He continued on a rarely used pathway, pushing any foliage away from him with each stride until he heard something. It wasn't a sound he heard often on Berk, but it was the sound of a weapon his father taught him to use, the sound of an arrow flying. It shocked him out of his stupor when he saw an arrow fly by, sticking into a hollowed out broken branch. He looked over to the source to see a girl around his age with a mass of orangey-red curls for hair wearing a deep blue-green dress with a small belt around her waist with a quiver attached to it, riding a large horse. They locked eyes for a second before Hiccup backed up into the brush and disappeared out of sight.

He was about back to the circle of stones only for and arrow to land in a tree right in front of him, causing him to freeze mid-step.

"Who are ye? Ah haven't seen ya around here before."

Hiccup slowly put his hands up in a placating gesture and slowly turned to find the girl he saw earlier. He took a calming breath and cleared his throat.

"I was just looking for a town to get supplies. I'm a traveler who's passing through."

The girl seemed to eye him from head to toe as if to gauge whether or not he was a threat but Hiccup couldn't help but comment with his famous sarcasm.

"And isn't it common courtesy to introduce yourself before making assumptions?" He retorted as he lowered his hands.

The girl mumbled something but lowered her bow anyway. "Ah'm Merida."

Hiccup subtly went rigid. His father had made him learn of all the enemies they had, from the Uglithugs to the Lavalouts; despite the latter being more neutral in recent years. And even to the enemies on the mainland. _"Wait, wasn't that the name of DunBroch's princess? ...Oh sweet baby Thor in a thunderstorm, I'm in Scotland!"_

Hiccup masked his panic quickly only for Merida to completely throw him off by raising her bow again with the arrow still notched.

"Wait, Ah heard about her kind before and yer clothes only prove it more, yer a Viking!"

"Wait wait wait! Just, hear me out… please."

Merida paused for a moment, staring at him unflinching. Normally, she wouldn't listen, especially to an enemy to her people, but when she finally looked at his eyes and not just his face, she saw something that just resonated with her. Desperation, sadness, and anxiety were what she saw in the young Vikings eyes. So she lowered her bow, put the arrow back in her quiver, and then looked at him with an expectant gaze with her arms crossed, though still had an accusing look in her eyes.

"Thank you…" he breathed. "So where to start…"

"How 'bout what got ye here and why?"

"Right, well I should probably tell you a bit about myself just so you get a better idea why I left home. My name's Hiccup," he stopped when he heard Merida snorting in an attempt to stifle her laughter… and failing. Once she calmed down, he continued. "That being said, I was _a_ hiccup and for clarification, where I'm from that means I was born a runt." That gained a small look of pity from the princess, but Hiccup didn't want pity, he got enough of those looks back on Berk. "I was pushed to be someone I'm not and despite succeeding in it, it wasn't me they were proud of and to top it all off, if I had stayed, I would've just disappointed my Dad even further, so I decided to leave," he let out a sigh, feeling a bit of weight off his shoulders.

Merida couldn't help but relate to him in a way. Her mum constantly pushing her to be _a proper lady_, only giving her one day every couple weeks to do what she wanted, and restricting everything else. The only other times she was allowed out was for Falconry, Combat practice with her father, and her outings with Angus. The thought of her Dad drifted to her Mum as she thought back to when she was young, when she and her Mum were so close. And the way Hiccup spoke sounded too sincere to not be a lie.

She shook her head and looked back to Hiccup. "Whae kind of supplies do ya need?"

Hiccup blinked a few times before a small smile appeared. "Uh, I need some of my tools fixed, fresh water, and some dried berries and nuts." He didn't want to push his luck being in enemy territory, he was lucky enough Merida was listening to him.

"Ah'll see what Ah can do," as she gave a small smile of her own. "It may take a couple days but where do ya want tae meet?"

"Well I came across a clearing not far from here in that direction," he explained, pointing to the path behind him. "We could meet there."

"Thae'll do, how 'bout we meet there tomorrow around midday?" she inquired.

"Sure," he replied and began to walk back only to look back at the princess when she whistled with strong thumps of hooves approaching soon following. A large horse came up to it's rider and Merida swung herself up with practiced ease and guided her horse back to the castle. Hiccup made his way back to the clearing where Toothless and the others were waiting. As he approached Toothless, the dragon began to sniff him curiously. Hiccup nudged the curious and protective dragon away.

"Easy bud, I just met someone," that only gained an inquisitive look from his scaly friend.

"We just need to be careful not to go into town. We're apparently in the area of one of the Vikings most hated enemies." Toothless looked at him skeptically and let out an annoyed rumble as if to say _'Dragons aren't the most hated?'_.

"I did say _'one of'_ our enemies, but if we do this right, we'll make a good ally," he explained. "Come on bud, let's set up here but you and the others have to hide tomorrow, I don't want to frighten off our new friend."

* * *

The ride back home through the lush forest allowed Merida to think about her recent encounter with a supposed enemy.

_"Dad told me that Vikings were big, bloodthirsty, and merciless… but Hiccup wasn't like that at all. He's the complete opposite! Twig-like, patient and friendly. If not slightly sarcastic."_

She was so lost in thoughts she barely noticed she was back in the castle stables. She climbed off Angus and took off his saddle then bridle and got him some oats before she went inside through the kitchen.

The servants greeted her as she went through and put together a plate of food for herself, quickly grabbing an apple and biting into it as she left the kitchen and entered the Dining Hall, which doubled as the Throne Room. It was a large room made up of grey stones and sturdy oak, there was a second level that surrounded the rim of the room, a few tapestries hung from the walls, and four thrones were placed against the wall adjacent to the main entrance.

Her Father was telling an old war story, her brothers were either falling asleep or playing with their food, her younger sister waved to her as she saw her enter, and her mother was looking over some documents.

She sat down in her seat across from her younger siblings and took the apple out of her mouth.

"Merida! How was yer day lass?" Her Dad, Fergus, King of DunBroch, welcomed.

"Ah found a clearing that gave an amazing view of the lake, all mah arrows hit center during our run through the forest, nearly hit a squirrel by accident though, and… Ah made a friend," she informed. She couldn't tell them about Hiccup, at least not everything, they'd send out the guards to kill him or capture him to do who knows what to him.

"Have ya now? Good fer you lass!" He happily said as he then glanced over to his wife. "Elinor, our Spitfire made a friend today."

"Hmm? Was it one of the villagers?" She inquired, placing the documents to the side.

"Nah, he's a traveler," she carefully told them. "We're supposed tae meet again tomorrow."

Hubert, one of the quadruplet siblings, joined in. "A boy?" Only to gain a slightly annoyed glance from his older sister as she chewed on some of her food.

Halleigh, Merida's younger sister, giggled at the exchange before taking a bite of an apple slice. "Whae's his name?" she couldn't help but ask once she swallowed her food.

(**A/N**: I read somewhere that Hubert, Harris, and Hamish are based on Huey, Dewey, and Louie, so I was kinda miffed when they didn't have a younger sister based on Webby. Yeah Webby's not related, but she's with them so much and probably close enough to be considered family. So I thought, why not? Her original name was going to be Hilda, but I then remembered Gustav's younger sister, Hildegard and didn't want two characters that have similar names, though I may not have a choice later. Yeah, it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it detail, but I like those details.

This will also be a constant in any other story I write that involves Brave and I hope it catches on for other authors. Continuing on!)

Merida decided to humor her sister and replied. "His name's Hiccup."

The name alone caused her younger siblings to giggle. "It's probably a family name," she defended.

Her mom gave a stern gaze as she straightened her posture. "Merida, you can't make plans knowing you have your lessons tomorrow. Today was your _Free Day_."

Merida let out a small groan as she swallowed what food she had in her mouth and looked back to her mom. "Ah'm gonna meet him around midday, after lunch and during Angus' riding time," she told them. "And Ah'm going whether ya let me or not," she added.

Elinor was about object only for Fergus to rejoin the conversation. "Smart lass. Just don't be out too long."

Merida had finished her food, got up from her seat and walked over to her father. "Thanks Dad!" Giving him a peck on the cheek and headed out of the Great Hall. Hubert, Harris, Hamish, and Halleigh finished their meals as well and skittered out as well, leaving their parents.

"Fergus-," Elinor began but was cut off by her husband.

"Go easy on her dear," he told her. "She just met a new friend. When was the last time she had one?"

Elinor was once again at a loss for words. The closest to a friend Merida had was her horse, Angus, and her falcon, Agnes. She had only met another Kingdoms children, a couple from Arendelle, but she wasn't old enough to remember them.

The queen let out a small sigh and relented, "Alright, if Merida is going tae meet with him, it will _only_ be during midday, no exceptions."

Unknown to them, Merida had been listening to their conversation in one of the hidden passages and silently cheered when her mother agreed. But to make sure Hiccup was who he appeared to be, even if he had proved it, she made her way to the castles library.

Greeting the Librarian as she entered, she looked through the search cards and found where the books she needed were and collected them. She quickly made her way back to her room and opened the one titled "Scandinavian Territories".

Well into the night, she learned more than what she expected. There were as many different types of Tribes as there were Vikings. There were the Lavalouts, the tribe is described to reside on a volcanic island and were said to be very territorial; there were the Shivering-Shores tribe, they're said to reside even further north than any of the other Vikings; then there were the three most well known tribes, the Meatheads, the Bog Burglars, and the Hairy Hooligans.

_"Hiccup must belong tae one of these… maybe Ah'll ask him about it tomorrow,"_ she thought as she glanced out her window. It was the night of a waning moon, the moon bathing everything in pale moonlight. _"That late already?"_ She thought as she placed the books off to the side on a nightstand and got up to begin her nightly routine, but before she went to bed, she snuck down to the kitchen and gathered up some food and filled up a couple water bladders and went to hide everything outside near Angus' stall then swiftly made her way back to her room. Her parents came by and bid her a good night as they all went to bed.

* * *

_Next Day..._

Hiccup had just caught some breakfast for himself and the dragons working together to get their own, with a makeshift net he had made, from the river they found the day before. After that, they returned to the stonehenge and waited; they couldn't really do much besides wait for their ally. Hiccup brought out his sketchbook, sat down outside the circle of stones against one, and began drawing Merida. He already had drawings of Toothless, some of his father, a couple of the other teens (mostly Astrid), and a couple of some Berkians. He honestly never seen anyone with that kind of hair so it was a good challenge for him. The hours went by and he had just finished the drawing when he heard the resounding thudding of hooves. He marked the page and closed it as Merida on her horse came into view.

"I honestly thought you wouldn't come," he said with a small smile.

"Yeah, well, yer one of the few people mah age around here that Ah don't mind being with," she retorted with a smile of her own as Angus came to a stop only for him to panic, bucking Merida off. "WHOA!" She quickly stood up and grabbed the reins as she tried calming her horse down. "Angus settle down! Whae's gotten intae ya?"

It only took Hiccup a second to figure it out and turned to see Toothless curiously approaching, luckily the others seemed to stay where they were.

_"I told you hide!"_ He thought as his anxiety began to rise.

It didn't help that Merida, who was trying to calm her horse down, noticed the dragon and pulled out her bow with a notched arrow. Hiccup immediately acted and got in the way of her aim.

"Whoa! Whoa! Wait! It's okay!" He exclaimed as he raised his arms in an attempt to stop her. It didn't help that the dragon began to growl as he took up a defensive stance at the notched and ready bow.

"Just whae is _that_?!" Merida panicked. Dragons had been said to have been sighted and to have only been a minor problem here in Scotland but she didn't know what to expect having not seen one before.

"Uh, Merida, Toothless. Toothless, Merida." He introduced with a small gesture for Merida to lower her bow, as Toothless curled his tail around Hiccup protectively making a low hiss, sounding like he did when he first met Astrid.

"Ya named _it_?" She harshly whispered.

"_He's_ my friend, he's only trying to protect me. Dragons will attack if threatened," he explained as he slowly eased forward and held out his hand. "Please, do you trust me?"

"Whae?" She looked at him astounded, but at the same time couldn't help but admire his willingness to try.

"Do you trust me?" He repeated, his hand still out to her. Angus had calmed down slightly, still a bit antsy, but it was progress.

Merida glanced to his outstretched hand then to his eyes which only held sincerity and lowered her bow, placing the arrow back in her quiver, causing Toothless to stop his growls, and she hesitantly took his hand. "Aye."

Hiccup gently took her hand in his and led her closer to Toothless. He thanked the Gods that this was going better than it did when Astrid first met Toothless as he opened her hand so it was open with her palm out toward the dark dragon. Toothless' eyes widened a bit, looking more curious but was still cautious. "Just let him come to you," the young dragon rider told her.

She was still tense but followed her new friends directions and glanced away. At first she felt the hot breath of the beast but after a moment, she felt something like if leather and fish scales had a baby, pressed against her palm causing her to look back. The fierce dragon she saw earlier was now looking at her with curious and friendly eyes, she couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as she placed her other hand on Toothless' snout and began the pet him, causing him to let out purrs of delight. "Wow…" It was only then she finally noticed a well made saddle on the back of the dragon, along with some sort of rigging. "Ya ride him?" She asked as she glanced over to Hiccup.

"Yeah and maybe, if your up for it, we could give you a ride," Hiccup said as he rubbed the back of his neck, gaining a small look of interest from the princess. "But maybe later, I'm honestly curious about this area. Think you could show me around? Without us getting caught, of course."

"Well, Ah can show ya around for a bit, but Ah have tae get back before mah mum sends out a search party," she replied in a half-joking manner. "But first," she trailed off as she went to the bags that hung from Angus' saddle, taking out some medium bags and handed them to Hiccup, who nodded his thanks. Once he placed everything in his own bags, they made their way to the outskirts of the village.

The village had many homes and a good sized market as well, Merida had pointed out the Blacksmith stall, to Hiccups relief. Time passed and Merida needed to head back but promised to meet Hiccup at sundown, the young dragon rider gave Merida the tools that needed fixing and they headed off in opposite directions.

To her Mum's surprise, Merida had paid more attention during her lessons than she did in the past, which pleased her. She was more focused, especially during her geography lessons. Perhaps meeting this _traveler_ was helping her. After her weapon practice with her father, she left saying she needed to drop some things off at the Smithy. She returned shortly after and they continued with their Falconry lessons, though Agnes once again assaulted Fergus' face, much to Merida's amusement and Elinor's annoyance.

"A princess does not chortle," Elinor chastised only gaining a look of annoyance from her daughter.

The afternoon passed into the night, guards swapped shifts, servants went home for the night, and the royal family got ready for bed, all except Merida.

Said princess waited for everyone to get settled for bed before sneaking out through the hidden passages, she made it to the stables and lead Angus out until they were by the Smithy where she picked up a parcel with her name on it and left town to a point far enough away for her to ride through the forest. With a lantern as a source of light, she made her way through the ever darkening forest. She saw a light in the distance as she approached the stonehenge, and sure enough, just outside the rock circle was Hiccup leaning against his dragon with the others close by and a small one on his shoulders.

"Hey, so how did your day go?" He asked jokingly. Merida got off Angus and passed the parcel to the young rider. He opened it to find his tools fixed and even a few extras. "Thanks, with these I should be good for some time."

With that, Merida guided Angus to lay down, following suit as she leaned against him and told Hiccup about her day. One topic led to another as they eventually learned more about each other, with Hiccup leaving out the fact his Dad was the Chief of his tribe, that was a story for another time when he fully trusted her. Yeah they'd probably relate a bit better if she knew but he didn't want to take the chance.

"I honestly didn't know we were even heading into Highlander territory before we met you," he chuckled a bit. "We just left in a random direction that wasn't North. It's like I'm Loki's favorite toy."

"Loki?" The rebellious princess wondered as she glanced up from carving a design into her bow.

"Loki is the God of Mischief where I'm from," he explained then smiled as he thought of the Thorston Twins. "Some of the other teens from my village will no doubt dedicate themselves to him when they're older."

"My mum has been trying tae dedicate me tae be a _perfect princess_," she couldn't help but mutter. "I just want to find my own Fate! Not be someone Ah'm not and become, well my Mum. Maybe you finding me is part of my Fate."

"I guess Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld had a contrasting idea when it came to our parents ideas of Fate and Destiny, huh?" Hiccup chuckled. Merida gave him a weird look so he explained. "Where I'm from they're the three goddesses of Fate. Urd is _What Was_, Verdandi is _What is Coming into Being_, and Skuld is _What Shall Be_. But in all honesty, I don't believe in future prophecies, I believe the future isn't written because it's ours to decide."

"Huh," she let out a small chuckle. "Ah wish mah Mum had that mindset. Mah whole life is planned out. From the moment Ah wake up to the moment Ah leave the castle for mah own time. You at least have a means of _actually_ leaving." She added as she gestured to Toothless before looking back to her bow in her lap. "Ah wish Ah could leave," she muttered as she carved into her bow.

While he wasn't sure if he meant to hear that last part, he felt a bit conflicted. On one hand, Merida was the Princess of her land, she was needed here. But on the other, she was also someone who was going through something similar to what he went through and just needs to experience to grow.

They continued to talk about past experiences even some stories that they were told countless times by their parents or guardians.

Eventually, Hiccup decided to stay a bit longer. Finally having a real friend was something he missed.

Their friendship strengthened over the 6 months Hiccup stayed in Scotland, they even celebrated each other's birthdays together when they were able to. But it was only a matter of time before the inevitable happened.

* * *

**A/N: CLIFFHANGER! Sorry guys, had to end it somewhere. Hope you enjoyed it so far, sorry for all the author notes. If the Arena Dragons bit or Astrid seemed slightly out of place, it was because I added them later due to the fact that if they were left behind, they'd probably be either kept in those unhealthy conditions or killed later on, the latter being a definite for the future Hookfang. As for Astrid, I was originally going to have the story start out during his Rite of Passage but then changed it to when he leaves earlier in the day, missing Astrid's confrontation completely but changed it **_**again**_ **to make it a bit more sense… slightly, a lot of scenarios have been put out in this kind of AU. It's difficult to do. That and I really like how the movie handled the confrontation and the quips and banter was just too good to pass up.**

**Again, this story will continue based on the amount of Constructive Criticism, Positive feedback, or the amount of attention this gets. BTW, see if you find the easter eggs I put in. **

**Kinda petty, but necessary.**


	2. Chapter 2: Learning to Fly

**Chapter 2: Learning to Fly**

**A/N**: **Hello again fellow readers and writers! Well, if 17 followers is any indication, you're asking for it! Here's the next chapter. I honestly didn't realize how long the first chapter was until I uploaded it. So this chapter is shorter than the first but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!**

* * *

_Moments after they left Berk…_

Astrid watched them go until she couldn't see them anymore in the moonlit night sky before turning to her new partner with a smile.

"Well, you're going to need a name, huh? I can't just keep calling you Nadder."

The Nadder in question perked up at her statement and let out a squawk of sorts in response.

"Sorry girl, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow. I have to get back home before people start to worry. But don't worry, I'll be back."

The Nadder gave a sad croon but let her human walk back to the entryway of the Cove.

As Astrid made her way through the forest, with only the moon to light her way, she eventually heard voices calling out.

"Oh great," she muttered. The Villagers were looking for both her and Hiccup, so she grabbed her axe, that hung behind her and threw it at a tree. Her family knew she often went to train in the forest, so she might as well make it look like she hadn't been on a... life changing experience. She threw it a few more times until she heard them getting closer.

"Ah found Astrid!" Gobber's voice was unmistakable when he called out, as she turned to see said Blacksmith approaching her with a torch in hand. "Where 'ave ya been lass?"

"I've been here training," she said in a tone that made it seem like it should've been obvious before looking up to the sky. "I guess I was so focused, I didn't realize what time it was."

"Astrid," the Chief's voice called as he came up to the pair but once Astrid turned to him, she quickly hid her surprise when she noticed his eyes were slightly puffy and his face filled with worry. "Have you seen Hiccup?"

Astrid nearly said yes but was able to stop herself and shook her head, mentally scolding herself for nearly giving it away. "No sir. I haven't seen him since earlier today at the Arena."

The Chief's broad shoulders sagged at her answer but he immediately went back to his usual _Stoic _expression. "Head back home Astrid, yer parents are worried."

"Yes sir," was all Astrid said as she began to head back home. But she did catch part of Stoick and Gobber's conversation.

"Do you really think he's…"

"Don't ya even start Stoick! Let's just continue searchin' before we make any assumptions."

Astrid couldn't help but grimace. Hiccup may or may not have left some sort of letters to them before he left. Which made keeping Hiccup leaving a secret, so much harder. Everyone in the village knows how Stoick's wife was carried off by a dragon, now he lost his son due to his own blindness and stubbornness.

She only hoped that they wouldn't find the Cove. That's her only safe haven to be with her dragon.

Once she got home, her younger brother, Tyrell, welcomed her with a hug and worry on his face. He knew that his sister was the best of her generation but he was still her brother and was allowed to worry.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked.

Astrid smiled at her brothers worry and her eyes softened. "Fearless Astrid Hofferson is sure. Now come on, it's time for bed." She picked him up and went up the sturdy stairs. Her parents had no doubt took part in searching and left her Uncle Finn to look after Tyrell, so they'd be home soon enough. She tucked her brother in and gently pet his head to help him sleep.

(**A/N**: Another thing that a lot of people do is assume that Astrid's Uncle Finn was killed. Now this may be me being an optimist, but I think Finn merely shut himself away for a time after being humiliated from "freezing".)

Once Tyrell was asleep, Astrid went back down stairs and was greeted by her parents, who must've come back home after hearing she was found.

"Astrid!" Her mother, Asta, exclaimed as she hugged her daughter tightly. Asta was one of the who Astrid took after the most in terms of facial features.

"You had us worried sick lass," her father, Havard, chastised. "When Tyrell came running in the house saying you weren't in your usual training area or anywhere else, ya nearly gave us a heart attack."

Astrid was released from her mother's suffocating hug, allowing her to turn to her father. "Sorry Dad, I just went exploring. No big deal."

"You be sure ta tell us where yer goin' next time, aight?" Her Uncle Finn asked, gaining a nod from his niece.

"Alright, that's enough of that," Havard states with a smile. "Head to bed, the Chief wants all hands on deck tomorrow to keep searchin' for Hiccup."

Astrid hid her wince as she headed back upstairs. She sighed as she sat down on her bed, the silence of her room was almost deafening. She took off her spiked skirt, metal shoulder pads, boots, and her kransen, then laid her head on her pillow, her mind still running, keeping her awake.

_"Will Hiccup be okay? Will he keep his promise?"_ She shook her head lightly. She couldn't worry about that now, Hiccup will come back and he will keep his promise. All she needs to do is follow his breadcrumbs, and learn about dragons and hopefully convince the tribe that dragons aren't what they thought they were. With that, her mind was put at ease and she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Astrid woke up early to get dressed, grabbed Hiccups journal and left a note saying she'd be out at Raven's Point training. Quickly grabbing her axe, and running out the door and into the crisp early morning air. Very few Berkians were awake at this hour, Mulch and Bucket were already down at the docks, Gothi looked to be visiting the Thorstons home, and Scablout was ready to finish his morning guard shift. Astrid finally reached the forest and retraced her steps back through the forest to reach the Cove, but this time around, taking her time to memorize the path.

Once she found her surroundings familiar, she followed the worn path. As she entered the Cove through the opening in the wall, she was greeted with a happy squawk.

"Hey there girl," she greeted her dragon, scratching the bipedal dragon behind her crown. She retracted her hand and brought out Hiccups journal, flipping to the first page that had a title. '_How to Train a Dragon'_. Astrid just smiled as she read the steps in order. "Okay, gain a dragon's trust first, show them you mean no harm. Alright, already did that…" she continued to read and followed the steps written down. It was easy at first, but then came the next leap of faith, flying.

Astrid looked hesitantly up to her partner with yellow-amber eyes looking back. She took a deep breath and released slowly. _"If Hiccup can do it, so can I,"_ she thought determinedly. "But I'll need something to hang on with."

After searching the Cove, she found remnants of some rope leftover from Hiccup. She took hold of it and tied it around her dragon the best she could. Strangely enough, the dragon knelt closer to the ground allowing her easier access to climb on. Taking a deep breath, she climbed atop her dragon and got in a comfortable position. "Okay, almost like riding a yak," she said out loud. Getting the idea of what to do next, she gave a firm nudge to her dragons side, getting her to flap her wings and fly up into the air. Astrid gripped onto the crown of horns as if they were the reigns and pulled to either side to guide her dragon where she wanted to go. They flew the obstacle like branches of the forest, Astrid quickly learned that she may not always know best, that flying together is a two-way connection.

She was having a blast! But unfortunately, it seemed that Thor was going to put them to the final test, as storm clouds began to brew.

The rain started out light but quickly shifted to pelting as the new bonded pair flew.

"We need to find some place to wait out the storm," Astrid called out over the rumbling clouds and pelting rain.

Her dragon squawked and tilted to the left, making a U-turn back to Berk. The gusts of wind threatened to throw them off course but the two of them stayed strong.

They eventually found shelter at the (). Soaked to the bone, Astrid shivered as she sat down on the stone ground, her dragon followed suit and laid down behind her. Her tail curled in front of Astrid's feet and her left wing covered the shivering girl to protect her from the wind chill.

"Thanks girl," Astrid said appreciatively as she leaned against the warm reptile. Staring out into the rain and dark clouds gave her an idea. "I think I'll call you Stormfly."

The newly named Stormfly purred happily as she lightly nudged her head against her rider, gaining a pleasant scratch in return.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

Stoick looked to the sky after hearing a resounding rumbling, as the clouds above began to converge together creating a mass of dark clouds.

"Thor seems to be mighty angry," Gobber said as he walked up to his friend. "What do you suppose he's angry about?"

Stoick only thought about it for a moment before shaking his head and heaved up the last tree trunk that needed cutting for the Great Hall's fire pit; it was always good to be prepared.

"That's not our concern right now Gobber," he reminded as he then made his way toward the hall. "Our only concern now is preparing before the ice comes in."

They took the load to the Hall and placed it with the others. Once that was done, he continued with his Chiefing duties, though part of his mind was elsewhere. The search for his son continued, but the only lead they had was that there was a boat missing from the docks and they had yet to find it so there was hope.

Stoick had headed home after eating something from the Great Hall. Normally Hiccup would make dinner but… he wasn't here.

The storm outside rumbled and crashed but it didn't bother him whatsoever as he sat in his chair with Hiccups letter in hand, gazing into the flames, remnant memories resurfacing.

* * *

_It was a cold night as Stoick sat in front of the fire place. It was the anniversary of his wife's death at the claws of the dragons. He wiped away his tears but was brought out of his mourning when he heard the stairs creak, causing him to turn and see his 7 year old son on said stairs, holding the dragon that Valka had made for him._

_"Son," Stoick started before wiping more tears away. "You should be asleep." _

_Hiccup shuffled a bit but spoke in a meek tone. "I was thirsty."_

_Stoick sighed quietly before gesturing for his son to come down. "Come 'ere, son."_

_Hiccup scurried down the rest of the stairs then up to his dad, who lifted him up onto his lap and allowed him to use the tongs on the fire._

_"Dad? Are you gonna get us a new mom?" He asked curiously._

_Stoick hugged his son and kissed his head lightly. "I don't want another. Your mom was the only woman for me. She was the love of my life. But with love comes loss, son. It's part of the deal. Sometimes it hurts, but in the end, it's all worth it. There's no greater gift than love."_

_Hiccup nodded slightly as he leaned against his dad. They stayed like that until Hiccup eventually fell back asleep. Stoick allowed him to stay that way until he almost nodded off as well, by then, he went upstairs to put Hiccup to bed, kissed him good night and headed to bed as well._

* * *

He sighed as he clenched the letter in his hands. There were so many times that he should've taken his own advice… but didn't. Now his son is gone, all because of his own stubbornness.

_"Hiccup…"_

* * *

Back with the fiery shield maiden at (), Astrid looked out to the open sea as she leaned against Stormfly. She had learned so much in the last 24 hours; Hiccup had only been using his resources to survive dragon training, Hiccup hiding a Night Fury, Dragons were raiding to not be eaten themselves, and… dragons not being what Vikings thought they were.

She absentmindedly scratched behind Stormfly's crown of horns earning croon of delight. Things are gonna be a lot more interesting and even more difficult in the coming future.

* * *

**A/N: So, a fun little fact, is that this story had been in the making for almost two years, and this chapter wasn't originally part of the story but I wanted to show a bit of Astrid and Stoicks pov. The same could be said for a couple of the later chapters. Some bits are more developed than others due to me typing it earlier on than others. So tell me what you think, but no flames. This story may involve dragons but I can still get burned.**

**Anyway, hope you guys liked it, hope to see ya next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3: New Fate

**Chapter 3: A New Fate**

**A/N: Hello again fellow readers and writers! Welcome back! We're now back with our favorite Dragon Rider! Or at least mine. So a reminder that this chapter takes place 6 months after the second chapter. And this is another long one, hope you like it! Call this an early gift for those in self quarantine.**

**I also hope that everyone is staying safe during this trying time and hope that this pandemic blows over soon. But as the saying goes, "It'll get worse before it gets better."**

**Stay safe everyone!**

**Now, on with the story!**

* * *

Merida had just gotten back home from one of her more amazing Free Days. Able to wake up later in the morning, a quick but filling breakfast, followed by a gallop through her Target Path, hanging out with Hiccup, he even joined in on climbing up Croons Tooth with her. And she even came up with a song throughout her day, which Hiccup helped write down.

They had such a blast, but all good things came to an end when she headed back home in time for dinner.

Her mother had just excused her younger siblings, which either meant she did something wrong (as if that wasn't normal) or she was about to say something that was meant for adults in discussion that they didn't need to worry about yet.

"Whae did Ah do now?" Merida asked anxiously.

"Yer father has something to discuss with you," Elinor replied, gesturing to her husband, who obviously didn't expect to be put on the spot. If his spit-take was any indication.

Glancing between his wife and daughter, he nervously cleared his throat, hesitating to say anything. "Merida…"

Elinor sighed before picking up after him, much to his slight frustration. "The Lord's are presenting their sons as suitors for your betrothal!" She was happy and clearly expected, if not a little bit, for her daughter to be as well. But… Nope.

"Whae?" Merida unsure yet irritatedly said.

"The clans have accepted!" Elinor clarified.

"DAD!" Merida yelled as she looked over to him. Throughout the years the only close relationship she had to her parents that she was still able to maintain was with her Dad. She believed she could trust him, but now she wasn't so sure.

"What? I… you… she… Elinor!" He was once again at a loss of what to say.

"Honestly, Merida! I don't know why you're acting this way," Elinor said. "This year each clan will present a suitor to compete in the games for your hand."

"I suppose a princess does whae's she's told!" Merida retorted hotly.

"A princess does not raise her voice," Elinor told her strictly, straightening herself. "Merida, this is what you've been preparing for your whole life."

"No! It's what _you've_ been preparing me for my whole life!" Merida retorted harshly, her hair bouncing with her head as she slammed her hand on the table as she stood up. "Ah won't go through with it! And ya can't make me!" Merida shouted as she grabbed her bow and quiver and swiftly stormed her way out of the Grand Hall.

She did hear her Dad and Mum call out to her, with a crash soon following, no doubt the work of her younger siblings before they left, but she continued on to her room. She slammed the door shut, placing her weapon against her nightstand and threw herself on her bed. Her anger just kept rising the more she thought about it.

Marriage? She's only 16! And she actually already knows the first born sons of the other clans, but their friendship was never brought up with their parents due to not wanting them to get any ideas. They were just friends!

(**A/N**: Yeah, I'm kinda changing it up a bit. This way the clans sons have even more of a reason to stand by her when she believes it's time to break traditions and in later chapters with the Riders.)

Her anger receded somewhat when an idea popped into her head: she could leave with Hiccup.

She quickly got off her bed and grabbed a large enough satchel and began to pack; extra clothes, a couple of the books she actually likes, her arrow repair tools, a couple daggers, and extra arrows. She quickly hid her bag under her bed and grabbed a sword and started to swing at her bed post. She knew her Mum would come and _talk_ to her, so she had to at least make it look like she was at this for a while. And true enough, Elinor came into her room. Merida protested as if to try and change her mind but her Mum just began to tell the story about the Four Prince's.

Believe it or not, the young princess believed the story was real. She and Hiccup had found old castle ruins of the Old Kingdom during one of their outings but they had to leave early due to Mor'Du attacking them, luckily they got away on Toothless. Hiccup theorized that they had just found Mor'Du's den.

_Legends were lessons, they rang with truth._

As Elinor continued, she did have her daughter's attention for a few moments but didn't notice the curly haired princess's interest was eventually lost.

So what her Mum believes is that if you go against tradition and make your own path, it will lead to chaos and ruin? Well, that's just a bad way of looking at things. And she was calling her vain to a point where she compared her to the eldest Prince in the story? Now that's just wrong.

"I would advise you to make your peace with this," Elinor advised as she made her way to the door. "The clans are coming to present their suitors."

"It's not fair!" Merida retorted.

"Oh, Merida! It's marriage, it's not the end of the world." With that, Merida was once again alone.

Now that she was alone, Merida got out some paper and wrote a letter to her parents and a special one to her younger sister. But as she thought about it, the more she seemed reluctant. This was her family and her home. She sighed as she hid the letters under her pillow and got ready for bed but put her boots back on and waited for everyone to go to bed before sneaking out once again with her satchel in hand.

* * *

Hiccup hadn't changed too much during the time he's been in Scotland. His auburn hair had grown down to the nape of his neck so he had to put it into a small ponytail and he only gained a couple centimeters in height, but from that he looked the same, he even got a part time job at the Smithy with Merida's help. He was doing a bit of maintenance on Toothless' saddle, adding a few things to help with his flying, in his makeshift home, which was settled not far from the stone circle.

"Alright, that should do it." He said as he stepped back to check his work. "Not too bad, if I say so myself."

Sharpshot, the green and brown Terrible Terror, sat upon his shoulders giving the teen a happy purr as said teen scratched his chin.

Over the months, Hiccup had given names to each of the Arena dragons. He couldn't help but compare them to the others his age as he named them though. The Monstrous Nightmare was named Hookfang, who was like Hiccups proud and arrogant cousin, Snotlout.

He did wonder how Astrid and the Nadder were doing and how much they bonded . He sent letters to her every now and again but he didn't want to make it a routine in fear that someone will figure out what they've been doing too soon. But he quickly pushed those thoughts aside.

The Hideous Zippleback was named Barf for the gas head and Belch for the spark head who butted heads as many times as the Thorston Twins did, Tuffnut and Ruffnut.

The Gronkle was named Meatlug who kinda reminded Hiccup of his childhood friend, Fishlegs.

Toothless lifted his head as he looked out into the forest, letting out a soft but happy croon.

"What's up bud?" He asked as he glanced over in the direction his friend was looking. Sure enough he couldn't mistake his Scottish friends' mass of curls. As she approached though, he noticed something was wrong, if the packed satchel was any indication.

"Mer? I honestly wasn't expecting you tonight. Did something happen?"

"My Mum's going tae marry me off!" She exclaimed with a huff.

"Marry you off?" He repeated only to help himself process what she said.

"Yes! But, I…" she trailed off, looking to the side. This is a side she could freely be with Hiccup, he understood her so well he could easily read her like a book, so what's the point of hiding it? The unsure and vulnerable side of her that she didn't even show to her family.

Hiccup noticed the uncertainty in her tone so he guided her to sit down with him on the bench and allowed her to explain what had happened. By the end of it, he had a pretty good idea why she came out to see him at this time.

"You have an idea of what you want to do but are unsure of how to go about it?" He merely gained a small nod from her which was all he needed. He knew full well that this was inevitable, and while he had his reservations about it before, this newest revelation sealed it. "Well, let's see if we can add a little of my _Dramatic Flair_ to your plan." He said with a hint of sarcasm, earning a small giggle from the curly haired princess, which made him feel better. He didn't like it when Merida was like that, unsure and upset.

They went over Merida's plan a few times just in case while adding a few corrections here and there. Merida left her satchel with Hiccup when the moon was nearly at its zenith before she made her way back to the castle. Tomorrow will definitely be interesting.

* * *

When Merida returned to her room, she froze when she saw her sister on her bed, looking at her curiously.

"Why were ya out?" She asked with a slight head tilt, her bouncy curly hair following her movement.

"Just went down to the kitchen for a late snack," Merida lied as she moved to her closet and opened it, checking to see if she had forgotten anything to put in her satchel.

"So ye went down to the kitchen… and left through there to get to the forest," Halleigh said with a straight face.

Merida paused and slowly turned to face her sister, silently asking how she knew.

"The boys and I overheard everything," the younger sister answered before her face churned with worry and her tone became meek. "... Ah was worried about you."

Merida's face softened as she went and sat next to her sister, moving the almost identical girl to her lap. "No need tae worry about me," Merida assured as Halleigh hugged her older sister tightly. "This Spitfire can handle anything thrown at her."

Halleigh nodded as Merida readjusted herself so they could lay down on her bed, getting comfortable and eventually falling asleep.

* * *

The next morning was… hectic, to say the least. Elinor began getting her ready in the early morning starting with Merida's slips for her dress then tightening the corset around her bodice. Time seemed to slow for Merida as every restricting move her mother performed and every strand of hair she so roughly brushed, had been magnified. But once it was over… she still felt like she was suffocating.

"You look absolutely beautiful," Elinor gracefully cooed.

"I… I can't breathe!" Merida struggled as she also tried to move her stiff arms but groaned at the restrictive movement's and her stubborn mother.

"Oh shush." Elinor chastised. "Now give us a twirl."

Merida humoured her mother and did a restricted spin. "I can't move! It's too tight!" Before facing her mother once again. She wondered if her mother even had this fitted for her.

"It's perfect!" Gaining only a sigh from her daughter as Elinor continued to admire her daughter but lingered on her frustrated and upset expression. "Merida…"

Merida looked to see a slight gleam of understanding in her mother's eyes and couldn't help but hope. "Mum?"

"Just…" Elinor trailed off, unsure whether she should say something now but she instead straightened herself and pushed her other thoughts aside. "Remember to smile." She turned and left the fiery princess to herself.

"You weren't even going tae try, huh?" Merida muttered hotly before she tried to at least stretch her dress a bit. But she only managed to do basic movement which frustrated her even more. "Was this fitted for me two years ago?!" She had a small growth spurt a year ago and that was the last time she remembered the maids fitting her for new clothes. It was only her casual dresses she wore and hasn't worn any _formal_ dresses since she was a kid.

It was the only explanation she came up with before she left her room and was escorted by her former caretaker, Maudie, to the Great Hall.

As everyone got into their places, some still frantically getting to them, Merida tried sitting on her throne but her mother pushed her down onto it then signaled for her to sit up straight. Frustrated, Merida took hold and brought out a short lock of her hair but her mother pushed it back beneath the wimple as she went to sit down on her own throne. But Merida simply brought the lock back out, a still present resentment toward the whole idea of this arranged marriage.

She couldn't keep the look of frustration and boredom off her face after that, but once she saw her "pen pals", she had to hide a smile. It was actually Lewis who started sending letters with Colin and Oliver later joining in, telling each other about their lives and a few secrets.

They each had younger siblings that could drive them crazy, having too high of expectations from their parents, and they have admitted that they have their eyes on someone of interest. Their falcons were trained to only give the letters to the first borns, so they went to their rooms' windows to drop off the letters.

Lord Macintosh went first, introducing his son Lewis. Though Merida simply hid her eyes under her wimple. She knew that Lewis was just as confident as her when it came to their skill, but he had a hard time proving that to his father.

Lord MacGuffin went next, padding a story for his son, Colin. Merida did peek out from her wimple and sent a small smile toward the timid gentle giant of a boy which he returned subtlety. She felt a bit closer to Colin than the other two, maybe it was because of his shy disposition that balanced her own bold attitude? Maybe.

When Lord Dingwall was introducing his son, Merida subtly nudged her Father, who was believing that the hulking guard was the son, as he glanced to his daughter, she shook her head negatively and pointed to the thin legs that stood behind the brute, just in time for Lord Dingwall to bring his son out from behind the guard revealing Oliver. Merida secretly lifted a couple fingers in a small wave which Oliver returned with a small smile. She and Oliver definitely shared a common fondness for carving and daydreaming, though Oliver may be better at the latter.

Merida was barely able to contain her laughter as she saw her friends either accidentally hitting each other or avoiding the others opposing Clansmen attacks when an all out brawl started. Even her younger siblings had snuck their way into the fight.

But she was surprised when her mother was able to glide right through the rambunctious Highlanders, all of them bowing out of her way, as she made her way toward the Lord's and her Father who had joined in the fight. She hid a smile as she saw them getting dragged back to the front _by the ear _by the smaller form that was her Mum.

"Sorry, me queen. I feel terrible. My humblest apologies," Lord Macintosh tried apologizing.

"Sorry," Lord Dingwall joined.

"No disrespect," Lord MacGuffin finished.

"Sorry, love. I… I didn't…" Fergus tried to explain as he rubbed his ear but the Queen simply looked away from him in silence. "Yes, dear." Getting the message, his head sagged a bit in resignation as he went to take his seat on his throne once again.

"Now then, where were we? Ah, yes. In accordance with our laws, by the rights of our heritage, only the first born of each of the great leaders may be presented as champion," Elinor addressed the crowd.

"First born?" Merida murmured to herself, lifting her head a bit from where it rested on her hand, toward her Mum. She briefly locked eyes with her friends before a wide smile pulled on her lips.

"And thus, compete for the hand of the princess of DunBroch. To win the fair maiden, they must prove their worth by feats of strength or arms in the games," she continued, completely unaware of Merida's growing smile. "It is customary for the challenge be determined by the princess herself."

Merida restrained herself just enough to not give away her elation at her new revelation. She stood up from her throne and glides forward. While she may not have enjoyed them, her lessons were ingrained into her. She glanced over to her Mum then to the gathered Clans. "I choose archery," she said gracefully.

"Let the games begin!" Elinor declared with the Clans cheering in response.

* * *

Everyone gathered in an open field surrounded by trees. Tents and stands were put up, food, trinkets and toys, even weapons were set out, though there were more food stands than the others. From tossing cabers to (), dancing and music playing, it was there.

Guards and servants set up the challenges targets, one for each Son.

"It's time!" Fergus announced, Elinor's arms around his own.

"Archers, to your marks!" Elinor called out, with Fergus joining.

"Aye! Archers, to… yer marks!"

"And may the lucky arrow find its target!" The Queen continued, earning boisterous cheers.

Each of the sons approached with their bows ready and quivers full of arrows but allowed the MacGuffin boy to go first.

As a nervous Colin got his bow ready, pulling the bowstring back and released. But his arrow only landed in the outermost ring, causing him softly groan at his terrible aim.

"He'd be better at tossing cabers," Merida noted. It was one of Colin's strengths after all, but her Dad took it another way.

"Or holding up bridges!" Fergus laughed while Merida covered her small smirk with her hand, though the King's laughing only caused Elinor to scoff at him but was honestly surprised that Merida didn't contribute.

After Lewis flips his hair to the girls in the crowd, earning him girlish cheers from them, he pulls the bowstring back then released. But to his disappointment he just missed the center of the target.

"No! Aaahh!" Lewis all but yelled at his result.

"At least you hit the target!" Lord Macintosh called to him, with a duel meaning, as his son starts throwing a tantrum.

"Oh, that's attractive," Merida grimaced. Lewis had mentioned his temper but she had never seen it first hand.

In his anger, Lewis threw his bow toward the gathered Highlanders, and someone in the crowd caught it. "I got it!"

"Good arm," Merida commented, knowing that archery was only a hobby to Lewis.

"And such lovely flowing locks," Fergus joked, thinking that's what Merida was doing.

"Fergus," Elinor scolded.

"What?"

Finally it was Oliver's turn to try but if he knew the fiery princess as well as he did through the letters and her reaction, then he knew he wouldn't stand a chance anyway. He struggled to keep the arrow straight, much to Fergus' annoyance, Lord Dingwall's embarrassment, and the other Lord's amusement. But the King reached his limit with his patience and was startled at Fergus' outburst.

"Oi! Get on with it!" Fergus all but commands.

Ironically, the shout only caused him to release his arrow and hit the dead center of his target, earning cheers at his success.

"Well done! Well done!" Lord Dingwall cheers before turning his back to the two other Lords and then bends lifting his kilt up at Lord Macintosh and MacGuffin. "Feast yer eyes!"

The two Lord's quickly covered their eyes and turned away, praying to the gods that they could cleanse their brains of what they just saw.

Shock was still written on the King's face as he finally found his voice again. "Well, that's just grand now, isn't it?" He turned to his wife. "Guess who's coming to dinner?"

"Fergus!" Elinor once again chastised.

"By the way, hope you don't mind being called Lady Ding…" Fergus continued as he turned to face his daughter but instead saw one of his hounds in her seat instead. The murmurs of the crowd caused the rulers to glance back to the field to see a cloaked individual staking a flag with the DunBroch family crest into the grass.

They walked forward then swiftly removed the hood that hid them, revealing the rebellious princess, Merida. Her hair free of the wimple and circlet that hung beneath her hair, back straightened, with her shoulders set. "Ah am Merida, first born descendant of Clan DunBroch." She spoke clearly and firmly to the gathered crowd. "And Ah'll be shooting for my _own_ hand!"

Her bold statement caused murmurs and gasps to start from the crowd, even the Lord's and her Parents were surprised.

"Whae are you doing…" was all Elinor could say in her shock. Merida had been fairly complacent up until now so she thought that maybe Merida had finally seen it her way… but no. All of it was an act.

From the shadows of the woods, Hiccup and his dragons continued to watch as Merida's plan continued. "A bit of a change of plans, but hey, improvisation is my forte," he joked. Originally, Merida was going to either sneak away when everyone was distracted or he would create a distraction that would allow her to get away, but this change will definitely leave everyone either scratching their heads or will leave them thinking… Possibly both.

Merida struggled to pull the bowstring back but the restrictive dress prevented her from doing so. "This dress!" She growled before tensing her muscles and flexed down then back, causing the dress to tear at the seams allowing her to continue with her plan. She notched an arrow and aimed at Colin's target then releasing before notching another arrow and moving onto Lewis's target then once again releasing. Her mother was advancing toward her, trying to stay calm but she was still clearly aggravated by her actions, trying to stop her from shooting her final arrow and to stop the so called _madness_.

"Merida! Don't you dare release that arrow! I FORBID IT!"

Merida had already notched one last arrow, her eyes focused on her final target, inhaling a deep breath, her own heartbeat thumping in her ears, then slowly exhaled. Time seemed to slow as she released the bowstring, the power behind it causing the arrow to bend slightly but straightened as it shot forth to it's designated target. Merida's arrow pierced Oliver's arrow, dead center, slicing it in half like a hot knife through butter, until it hit the back post of the target. All her arrows have hit the dead center of each target.

Before her Mum could drag her off, Merida sprinted a good distance between them before speaking again.

"If Ah'm not able to choose mah own Fate, then whae kind of life is thae?" Merida stated clearly for all those who were present, before turning back to her mother and glancing between her and her father. "It is better tae die on yer feet than tae live on yer knees."

Before any of them could react, the curly haired princess placed her bow around her, then cupped her hands together around her mouth and let out what sounded like a roar of a beast, shocking everyone.

"Alright gang, that's the signal," Hiccup quietly said. "Let's go!"

But it shell shocked them even more so when it received a similar roar in response.

Suddenly a black blur shot out of the treeline with other colorful streaks following behind, straight toward Merida. None of them could react fast enough as the princess was lifted off her feet and into the air. Though unseen to the spectators, Hiccup had laid low and helped Merida adjust herself in the saddle as they got high enough in the air.

"MERIDA!"

"Whae is that?!"

"DRAGONS!"

Some of the guards began to shoot arrows which they all dodged easily, only for a familiar voice to stop them.

"Hold yer fire! It has my daughter!"

Merida recognized her Dad's voice and spared a glance back to see her parents along with her younger siblings with the Lord's and their sons staring in shock at them. She didn't know why, but her eyes lingered on Colin a bit longer before she looked away and tightened her arms around her best friend. "Let's go," she muttered.

Hiccup nodded and began to guide Toothless away only for his scaly friend to swerve stiffly as he dodged another volley of arrows. One unfortunately embedding itself in Hiccup's side. He let out a pained gasp as they immediately flew away.

"Hiccup!" She looked down to see the arrow sticking in his side and was about to pull it out but Hiccup stopped her.

"Don't! We need to get away first," he stressed. He let out a shaky breath and inhaled again. "If it's taken out now it'll bleed out. We'll stop at the first island we see."

Merida gave a hesitant nod as she glanced back to the arrow. There wasn't too much blood but it was stuck deep and if it stayed in his side too long it could get infected. She just hoped they could find an island soon.

* * *

They flew well into the night and over the dark ocean water, the air became more crisp causing Merida to tuck her arms into Hiccups fur vest, knowing he didn't mind, though Sharpshot helped by curling up around her shoulders as well.

As the morning light came, the wind seemed to pick up. Continuing their flight, Hiccup kept going despite the pain the arrow was causing as well as the lightheaded feeling he was beginning to experience. Flying well into the day and into the afternoon, they finally stopped at an island.

Merida was able to change into some better and comfortable clothes before heading into the village to get the needed medical supplies, she even heard some rumors that they may need to be careful of, something about Dragon Trappers and Hunters. She quickly made her way back to her friends and treated Hiccups injury, silently thanking the gods that one of her lessons involved medical training.

They took a short nap to regain their strength before taking off once again. They flew for a couple more exhausting days before they got back to semi familiar waters. But as they set back out on their fourth day on the _run_, flying well into the afternoon, the gods had something… _special_, planned.

* * *

The clouds were turning a pale yellow and pink, indicating that dusk was approaching. Merida couldn't help but look out at their surroundings in awe once again, it was like something out of a dream or painting. She glanced back to her friend, seeing that he was still in pain but kept focused on flying. Until something strange happened.

Hiccup spotted something rising from the clouds before he looked on in shock to see it was a person. Clad in brown leather armor with a helmet that seemed to imitate a dragon, having arm guards that had old claws and spikes on them with matching leg guards, also holding a shield and donning a cape, completing the look with blue, red, and yellow war paint on the helmet, armor, and shield.

They didn't say anything, just staring at each other before the person lightly swung the staff they held, causing them to sink below the clouds once more. Hiccup had put Toothless into a stop as they hovered in the air with the others following suit.

"Okay," he hesitantly said as he placed a calming hand on Toothless' head and the other on Merida's hand. "No sudden moves."

Merida only managed a small nod and squeeze of her hand signaling she understood. Seconds later a large reddish dragon with crown like horns burst through the clouds, dispersing them and unveiling all _four_ of its wings. They looked upon each other for a few moments before both Hiccup and Merida were ripped from Toothless by a couple of other dragons.

"TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup exclaimed as he watched his friend fall into the icy ocean. Despite the yanking causing his wounds to get irritated, he could care less.

Panicking, he looked around him to see Merida in the claws of another dragon next to him.

The arena dragons were alarmed but were herded to follow a separate flock of dragons that the mysterious rider no doubt led. He looked back to the stranger and called out. "Hey! You left my dragon back there! He can't fly on his own, he'll drown!"

The stranger either ignored him or didn't hear him as the flock of dragons continued on until coming upon what could be described as a large glacier fortress. The dragons dropped the two rebels onto the stone ground inside a cavern as they quickly got back up, only to stop as they realized they were surrounded by dragons. Hiccup felt Merida behind him, already knowing how she was feeling.

"Okay Mer, ready for your first lesson in Dragon Training?" He said quietly with a small hint of sarcasm.

"Do ya need tae ask?" She retorted, her hands itching for her bow or sword but knew it would make things worse.

"First, make yourself vulnerable. No weapons," he instructed as he gently tossed his own seax away with Merida following suit with her bow, quiver, and dagger. "Next, ease their worries."

Merida felt something brush against her hand, it felt like grass, but she grabbed it anyway and held it in front of her, with Hiccup already doing the same. The dragons that approached them smelled the grass in bliss, falling into a daze but more dragons came up from beside them. Hiccup got in front of Merida with his hand out in a placating gesture calming the dragon slightly before he snuck his other hand beneath it's chin and scratched the sweet spot, putting the dragon to sleep.

Unknown to them, the mysterious figure was watching them in interest, observing how they dealt with their dragons. Getting the two rebels attention with a swing of their staff, a dragon entered where they came in, placing a familiar black dragon next to them.

"Toothless!" The two teens were beyond relieved to see their dragon friend was unharmed, wet but unharmed. The Night Fury nudged the two of them as if to ask if they were alright. "We're fine bud, we're fine."

The stranger began to cautiously approach them causing Toothless to curl protectively around his two friends with Hiccup and Merida getting slightly uncomfortable with how the stranger moved.

"Who-who are you?" Hiccup asked, trying to get sort of semblance as to what on Midgard was going on. The person slowly continued to stare at them. "Can you even understand me?" The stranger stood up a bit in front of the two nervous rebels, their staff firmly in their hand. "Do you even know what I'm saying?"

The stranger swung their staff once again, letting out a vibrating clattering causing the dragons to light up the cavern with a low-flame light from their maws and the figure began crawling in a feral-like manner toward them. Toothless growled but with a simple hand gesture from the mysterious rider, he was put into a daze and onto his side, his tongue lolling from his mouth. Hiccup had an arm in front Merida fully knowing she could handle herself but it was a reflex and it prevented her from making things worse, as the stranger got closer to him.

"Uh, umm…" At this point, the person was extremely close in his personal space, he wasn't sure how to react. But as their hand hovered over the small scar between the corner of his lip and chin, they gasped. They crouched back away from him as if in shock before they finally spoke.

"Hiccup?" They sounded feminine which was proven right when their helmet was taken off. The woman had pale skin, auburn hair put into three separate braids, and blue eyes, that strangely reflected his own. "Can it be? After all these years…"

Hiccup looked at her confused, giving Merida an unsure glance before looking back to the woman. "Should-should I know you?"

The woman's eyes saddened as she glanced away, "No, you were only a babe…" then looked back to him. "But a mother _never_ forgets."

Just that phrase alone sent Hiccup into shock. He felt as if he couldn't breathe and gasped before the woman, his mother, held out her hand in a calming gesture.

"Shh," she eased before motioning for them to follow. "Come."

As she left, Merida nudged Hiccup in the direction the woman left, getting Hiccup to snap out of his shock and chase after his supposed mother. "Wait!" He called out as they made their way through the cavernous maze of ice and stone. "You're my mother?! Do you realize how crazy that sounds?" He struggled up against a column as Toothless helped him up, giving Merida a boost as well before following after them. The woman continued on, urging them to follow. "They said you died! That you were taken by-" he cut himself off as he entered a large cavern filled with dragons of all different types, sizes, and colors.

All of them flying freely and happily. The best way to describe it was that it was a Sanctuary, with basalt stone ledges and platforms with ice forming what would be a dome, rich foliage growing on the ground and up the walls, and despite being in the North and all the ice in the area, it was quite warm.

Merida looked around in awe as she entered with Toothless behind her.

"Dragons…" he murmured, too in shock to say anything more. He walked forward taking all that he saw in, passing baby dragons playing, adolescents rough housing while the elders watched over them, he was startled as a dragon shot up over them.

He heard Toothless grumble next to him as he looked up, he followed his dragons gaze to see his Mom hanging with her dragon from the ceiling.

"This is where you've been for 16 years?" She nodded nervously with an anxious smile.

"You've been rescuing them." Gaining another nervous nod from her. "Unbelievable…"

"You're not upset?" She questioned, anxious about his answer.

"What? No- I, I don't know," he stuttered. "It's a bit much to get my head around to be frank. It's not everyday you find out your mom is a crazy, feral, vigilante, dragon lady," he said sarcastically.

Merida just watched from the sidelines, not wanting to disturb them. Hiccup had told her about how he believed his Mom had died when he was a baby, so she didn't want to interrupt. She was relieved to see the Arena dragons soon join them.

Though some of the other dragons came up to her and Toothless, curious about them.

"Well, at least I'm not boring," she chuckled nervously as she used her bullhook staff to climb down with her dragons help then sliding off her dragons wing to the ground landing in a crouch. "Right?"

A blue Thunderclaw came up and nudged the younger rider as he began to pet him. "No, I suppose there is that one… specific, thing." He muttered.

"Do ya like it?" She asked, hope in her eyes but her posture was still nervous.

"I- I don't have the words," he fumbled as he looked around, still in awe.

One of the dragons sniffing Toothless, a Snifflehunch, bumped up against Toothless, raising his hindquarters in the air before the black dragon told him to back off, dispersing any of the other curious dragons. The interaction caused the dragon allies to laugh.

"They aren't too different from the animals Ah've seen in thae regard," Merida snorted as a Terrible Terror crawled onto her shoulder.

"Very true," the woman agreed before glancing over to the rebel princess. "And are you a friend of my son?"

"Aye, Ah'm Merida," she said with a smile. "Ah met yer son 6 months ago," she glanced over to the younger rider then back to the woman. "He's become my best friend."

The woman smiled in kind. "I'm Valka."

She then turned to Toothless, glancing to Hiccup then back. "C-can I?" Gaining a shrug from the young boy. She placed her staff down and held out her hand, allowing the dragon to sniff her. "Oh he's beautiful," she gently stroked the top of Toothless' head gaining a happy rumble from him as he nudged closer to her. "Incredible," she chuckled as Toothless rubbed against her as he circled around her and laid down causing her to chuckle. "He may very well be an endangered species," she scratched the happy dragon before noticing the small fins on his jawline. "And look! He's your age!"

"Wow," Hiccup was in awe of his mom, watching them interact. It took him awhile to gain Toothless' trust but the _fearsome offspring of Lightning and Death itself_ seemed to be clay in her hands.

"No wonder you get along so well," she chuckled as she imitated the black dragon before noticing how his teeth retracted. "Retractable teeth! Oh, how did you manage…?"

Merida caught this and was curious as well. Hiccup never told her how he met Toothless, as she continued to scratch the red Terror in her arms.

Hiccup turned his eyes downward ashamed. "Found him in the woods… he was shot down, and… wounded."

Valka's face churned with emotion, a mixed expression of subtle anger, sadness, and sympathy as she stood up and walked over to some of dragons that had gathered. "This Snafflefang lost his leg to one of Drago Bludvists iron traps," she went on as she comforted each one as she explained each incident. "This Raincutter had her wing sliced by razor-netting," she continued as she gently lifted the injured wing with her staff, she placed it down and slowly raised her hand to another dragon. "And this poor Hobblegrunt was blinded by a tree snare and then left to die, alone and scared."

Hiccup could only nod, knowing what was coming. "And what of this?" She asked as she gestured to Toothless' left prosthetic tailfin. "Did Drago and his trappers do this as well?"

"Oh, heh heh yeah," he laughed nervously, his arms loosely swinging at his sides. "Crazy thing, is that… I'm, the one who… shot him down." Toothless looked to his rider sensing his discomfort as he leaned over to get pet by his rider letting out a croon of comfort. Valka looked on, confused but could see the strong bond between them. "But we saved each other, huh bud? They wouldn't know what to do if they saw you, huh?" Toothless grumbled happily as he moved his head beneath his riders legs so Hiccup was now on his neck with said rider scratching him.

"What did yer father think of yer Night Fury friend?" Valka asked as she began to pet Toothless as well.

Hiccup sighed and glanced down. "He… I didn't want to put him at risk." He murmured honestly, referring to both his father and Toothless.

Valka noticed her son's distress and could only imagine what happened. "Believe me, I tried as well. Some people aren't capable of changing. And some of us," she glanced over to Cloudjumper who let out a roar and flew off around the cavern, then to her son. "Are just born different."

"What happened?" Hiccup asked.

Valka knew what he was referring to and began her tale, no, memory that has haunted her for so long.

* * *

_16 years ago..._

_Dragons flew across the dark ashy sky, breathing fire, and carrying away their catches._

"Berk was a land of kill or be killed, but I believed peace was possible."

_A Viking raised his weapon ready to finish off the downed dragon but Valka quickly caught his raised arm, preventing him from killing the dragon._

"_Stop! You'll only make it worse!_" _She begged._

_The dragon took advantage of the opening and took off. Leaving the viking to glare at Valka for interfering before going off elsewhere._

"It was a very unpopular opinion."

_As the Viking Warrior rushes off, Valka hears a clatter and whirls around to see a large Dragon clawing its way through the roof of a house. Her house._

_"Hiccup!"_

_The dragon enters the house through the hole in the roof, sniffing out a baby's cradle in the corner. Valka rushes in, panicked._

"During the raid, a dragon broke into our house, finding you in the cradle."

_Valka draws a sword quickly, nearly rushing up to the dragon, only to find it huddled protectively over the cradle as baby Hiccup innocently plays with one of its talons._

"I rushed to protect you, but what I saw... was proof of everything I believed."

_Valka's careful approach causes a floorboard to squeak. Hearing the disturbance, the dragon whips around to face her, accidentally scratching Hiccup's chin causing him to cry. Their eyes meet. Valka slowly lowers her sword, transfixed. The dragon's eyes dilate in a curious manner._

"This wasn't a vicious beast, but an intelligent, gentle creature, whose soul reflected my own."

_Suddenly, Stoick's axe lands between them, barely missing the dragon and embedding itself into the pillar._

_"Valka, run!" Stoick shouted._

_Alarmed, the dragon whirls around at Stoick and fires blasts at the Chief causing him to dive out of the way as the fire splatters against the wall, burning a hole in the wood and setting the room ablaze. The dragon moves toward Stoick, but Valka quickly grabbed hold of the wing._

_"Don't!" Valka shouted. _

_This caused the dragon to turn to face her again, locking eyes, agitated._

_"Hold on!" Stoick replied_

_Stoick dashes through the fire toward Hiccup and pulls him out of the cradle, he then pulls his axe from the pillar..._

_"No! Stoick!"_

_...but in a quick whoosh of smoke and embers, the dragon and Valka are gone._

_"VALKA!"_

_"Stoick!" came a distant shout. _

_Stoick and baby Hiccup both watch helplessly as the dragon spirits Valka away into the smoky night sky._

_"Valka..."_

* * *

"You and your father nearly died that night, all because I couldn't kill a dragon." She finished looking back at Hiccup.

"Yeah, it seems to run in the family," he piped up.

"It broke my heart to stay away, but I believed you'd be safer if I did."

Hiccup considered this, then raised his eyes to hers, seeing the sting of remorse. "How did you survive?"

"Ole Cloudjumper never meant to harm me," she explained as they walked toward the ledge with Merida, Toothless and Cloudjumper following. "He must've thought I belonged here, in the home of the great Bewilderbeast. The Alpha species, just one of the very _few_ that still exist."

As they got to the ledge, they saw a gigantic white dragon, the fins along its body and tail indicated it was a Tidal class, two large tusks on either side of it's jaw, and spines on its head acting as a sort of crown.

"Every nest has its Queen but this is the King of all dragons."

They made their way down a pathway to the lower region of the cavern as she gestured to the walls. "With his icy breath, this graceful giant created this nest. A safe Haven for all dragons. We all live under his care and command."

They passed by some hatchlings who swarmed Toothless, wanting to play, only to get told off by Cloudjumper.

"All but the babies, of course," she added as she smiled at their antics. "Who, listen to no one." Letting out a laugh as the babies went to fly and scamper around the White King, only leaving when he blew at them gently to get them away as he lifted himself out of the water.

Valka bowed with the nearby dragons soon following, even Toothless and the Arena Dragons bowed in respect. Only Hiccup and Merida stood, gazing upon the giant before them, his blue-green eyes staring back. "I've lived among them for 16 years, Hiccup. Learning their ways and discovering their secrets."

The White King, not bothered by their disrespect but endeared by their awe, gently blew some of his breath onto the two young riders, leaving their hair covered with snow and frost causing Valka to let out a chuckle. "He likes ya."

"Wow," Hiccup breathed out as he and Merida shook the frost free from their hair.

"Are you two hungry?" Valka asked with a smile.

"Uh, yeah, I could go for some food," he replied. He looked over to his friend with a questioning glance. "Mer?"

"Sure, we haven't eaten since earlier this afternoon," she replied with a smile.

"Good," Valka said with a hint of mischief in her smile. "It's feeding time."

* * *

Once they had made it to the open sea when Merida heard something and glanced behind her to see a large flock of dragons from the Sanctuary following them. "Uh Hic?"

Hiccup glanced behind him to see the dragons as well before he looked ahead at his mom. "Hey, I-I thought we were going to eat."

"Oh we are," Valka replied with a smile as Cloudjumper came to a hovering stop. She held an open hand out, signaling them to stop then glanced down into the ocean causing Hiccup, Merida and Toothless look down as well. A large school of fish were swimming closer to the surface with the White King below them and a pod of other Tidal class dragons rounding up the school. Just as the gentle giant breached the surface, he let out a burst causing the fish to shoot up into the air like a geyser. The newcomers had a look of surprise and shock on their faces causing Valka to laugh heartily, as the fish rained down around them. Toothless began to wiggle in excitement before glancing up to his rider as if asking permission which Hiccup obliged. He shot down catching as many fish he could in his mouth with Hiccup and Merida holding on tightly.

After eating, Valka showed them to a cliffside that had a strong updraft where the dragons began to hover. Merida took a chance and stood up, with practiced balance she walked across the different wings of the dragons with Valka following suit, walking across each wing and using her staff to hang from dragon before landing on Toothless' wing. Valka ruffled Hiccup's hair as she passed over him before sliding off one of Toothless' outstretched wings and back onto an awaiting Cloudjumper. Merida made it back to Hiccup and they flew away from the flock of dragons.

"Ah, when I'm up here I don't even feel the cold I just feel…"

"Free," the two rebels completed. Looking over to her in complete understanding.

"This is what it is to be a dragon," she breathed out, her arms out wide embracing the wind.

The dragon's all returned to the Sanctuary and the Riders flew to a snow-covered peak nearby. Hiccup began telling his mom what he had been up to back on Berk and had experienced on his travels with Merida telling her what they did back in her Homeland. While Valka was hesitant when she found out Merida was a Highlander, but she trusted Hiccups judgement as he reassured her that Merida was like them, misunderstood. They all laughed as Toothless began to draw in the snow with an icicle only for it to get stuck on his tongue.

Valka walked closer to Hiccup and hesitantly brought her hand up to his face to which he gladly leaned into. "All this time you took after me," she said happily before her face and tone grew somber. "And where was I?" She looked back to her son, her eyes hopeful. "I'm so sorry Hiccup, can we start over? Will ya give me another chance?" She asked before moving over to Toothless. "I can teach you all that I've learned these past 16 years, like…" she trailed off as she massaged an area near Toothless' crown in a circular motion causing the spines lining his back to split into a _V_ form. "Now you can make some daring turns."

Toothless shook himself looking as if he just got a much needed chiropractor job done as he bounded over to his friends.

"Wow," Hiccup looked him over, curious. "Did you know about this?" Toothless merely clapped his new spines together, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, obviously not knowing about it. Merida started to scratch the happy dragon before he went bounding across the snow toward Cloudjumper as Hiccup looked back to his mom.

"Every dragon has its secrets," she said with a smile. "And I'll show them all to you. We'll unlock every mystery, we'll find every last species together." She continued with a smile as they watched Toothless burrow in the snow, popping up by Cloudjumper, jumping up and leaving some snow on the elder dragon's crown who just dumped it back onto him, causing them to laugh. Merida walked over to them with a smile and Valka placed her other hand on the young girls shoulder. "We'll do it together, as our own tribe. This gift we share, it bonds us. We'll change the world for all dragons! We'll make it a better, safer place!"

"Yeah, that sounds amazing!" Hiccup smiled, he honestly couldn't believe this was happening.

"Aye, can't turn that down, right?" Merida happily said. She honestly felt more comfortable with Valka than she did her own mother. Valka understood her, and didn't mind that she was a Highlander.

Valka embraced them both in a hug, Merida returned it in kind while Hiccup held her gingerly before returning the hug fully. Valka welcomed them with open arms. She finally had her son back and while she missed her husband, this was for the best. She also felt that Merida would come to be the daughter she never had.

The sun had just gone down as they returned to the Sanctuary with Valka helping them get settled in, leading them to some empty caves they could use as they pleased.

Hiccup was moving things around when he felt his wound get stretched. He stopped what he was doing and lifted his tunic slightly and lightly pressed his other hand on the wounded area.

"Ah great…" he muttered.

"Son?"

Hiccup jumped slightly, irritating his injury more as he turned to see his Mom in the entryway. She wasn't in her armor anymore but instead wore a yellow long sleeve tunic with leather arm bands around her wrists, a fur around her waist, brown leggings, and brown boots.

She didn't waste time when she noticed the blood on his hand and approached swiftly closer to him, lifting his tunic to see his wound.

"What happened?" She asked worriedly.

"We, uh, got shot at when we were leaving DunBroch," he answered honestly. "Typical Haddock Luck."

Valka took his hand and led him to what looked to be a common area and had him sit down on a wooden stool. The cave had a table and chairs, cabinets, and some furs lining some of the stone and ice benches. Valka brought over a chest and opened it, revealing all sorts of medical supplies. She got to work by unraveling the old bandages, getting a better look at the wound. Seeing it slightly discolored and swelling, she gingerly pressed her forehead against his to check his temperature.

"You feel a bit warm," she said quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"Uh, yeah, warm for one," he began. "Kinda feeling light headed and my side is aching."

Normally, he wouldn't want to worry her but he and Merida had been on the run for awhile and he was too tired to care.

"As I thought," she muttered. "Your wound is infected. You'll need to rest for now, I'll bring you something to drink later." She finished cleaning and re-bandaging the wound, then guided him back to his room to the bed he had set up and tucked him in. Before she left, she heard her son quietly murmur something that warmed her heart.

"I'm glad I found you Mom."

She quietly left, with a smile on her face as she entered the common area. She got together some herbs and placed a kettle over the makeshift fire pit and lit it.

"Somethin' happen?"

Valka turned to see Merida walk in, now wearing just her beige night dress.

"Hiccups wound is infected," she told her as she shifted the herbs. "I cleaned it best I could but I'm making some tea to help ease the pain."

"Ah knew Ah noticed something was off. Guess I didn't clean the wound well enough," Merida muttered before sighing. "He rivals even me when it comes tae stubbornness." She sat down on one of the benches as she talked with Valka. "Though Ah'm not sure where he gets it from."

"Oh? Do you know which side _you_ get it from?"

"Definitely me Mum's side," she replied instantly. "But Dad's side contributed too."

Valka chuckled. "Well then, Hiccup most certainly got his stubbornness from his father."

Merida chuckled as well knowing full well what that was like. She knew her younger brothers may inherit their mothers stubbornness as well as her pride and her sister may be the only sensible one in the family.

She noticed the sad look in Valka's eyes when Hiccup's Dad was brought up so she decided to change the topic.

"Do ya think ya could teach me? How tae be with and ride dragons?" She asked. She always saw the bond that Hiccup and Toothless had, but wasn't able to bond with any of the Arena Dragons and longed for one of her own.

Valka didn't even seem to debate with herself as she smiled at the young Highlander. "Of course, let's just let Hiccup heal first," she replied. "I believe he would want to be present for it."

She later took the tea to Hiccup, helping him sit up to drink it, before leaving a cool cloth on his forehead. She even helped Merida get ready for bed by gently brushing her hair, unlike Elinor who didn't brush it correctly and did it so roughly.

Every once in a while during the night, Valka checked on her son, seeing if the tea and medicine worked and it seemed to be doing its job.

The next day would be interesting.

* * *

**A/N**: **I know I'm borrowing A LOT from the movies, I know, **_**very original**_**. But again, the lines and banter are so much better than my own. **

**So I see reviews on my stories that are hurtful, I try to take in stride but struggle with it. Then there are those kinds of reviews that have barely anything to do with the story. They don't tell me what they think of it, just leave either a rumor or something irrelevant. So far, the reviews for this story are fine, which I'm thankful for them.**

**And as for Hiccup forgiving his mom so easily is actually accurate to his character. I see people saying that he **_**shouldn't**_ **have forgiven her so easily, but here's the thing guys, Hiccup is a forgiving character. We've seen that in RTTE, that he was willing to forgive his **_**enemies**_**, I repeat, his ENEMIES. And while Mildew stayed the same, Savage stayed a criminal, Ryker and Johann getting their comeuppance, and Krogan later slain, Alvin, Dagur, and even Viggo were all redeemed and forgiven. Which is why it works and is why I get so irked when people turn them back to villains in their stories.**

**Sorry for ranting but it needed to be done. **

**See you guys in the next chapter, Buh-Bye!**


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